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I recently bought my adorable 'tiel from a breeder. She sent home her special mix of food with me and its very expensive. I have about a pound left. I'm just wondering if there is any way to mix my 'tiels food with something from a pet store and wean him off of the breeders. And what is the most healthy food to feed him?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just really new to owning birds and everything so far has been a great learning experience.

What is in the mix she sent you home with?

Yes, it is possible to switch your tiel to another brand of food, I would mix the new 50/50 with the old for a week or so and then increase the ammount of the new to 75%. I feed my tiels a 50/50 mix of seeds and roudybush pellets. They get a lot of fresh and cooked food as well since the dry mix doesn't fulfill all their needs.

If you decide to feed pellets, which are supposed to have all the nutrition they need (even if they are high in protein and that causes problems), research the brand. Find one that uses foods all grown in the US so you don't have issues with quality. Harrisons, Roudybush, and Lafebers are all good brands. Some may even send you samples if you contact the company.

The seed mix I use is a cockatiel blend that does not contain sunflower seeds.

Its got a mixture of sunflower seeds, a couple different kinds of millet, small seeds and colorful biscuit like things. I'm not sure what all is in it. I have gotten some different samples of food from the pet store and its Browns or Lafaber. He really likes the seeds but doesn't eat much else. The store sent me home with 5 different samples of food. Most of the foods they gave me look like it has the same thing as the breeder uses. I just wanted to make sure it was safe for him to have. Thank you so much for your help. Its greatly appreciated.

The sunflower seeds aren't very healthy. They are a very fatty seed, and many birds will eat only those, making themselves sick. The colorful biscuit things are pellets.

As long as the food is similar to what she was serving, it should be an easy switch. However, keep in mind that a seed only diet is not healthy for birds.